Discussion Questions

Encourage discussion of Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad Are Friends with these questions.

• Ask children if they have ever lost a button from their clothing. Have them share descriptions of their lost buttons. Encourage children to use descriptive language in their explanations including shape, color, size, or number of holes. Then tell children that they will hear a tale of a toad who lost a button from his jacket.
• Ask children to describe the buttons on the clothes they're wearing. Encourage children to use attributes such as shape, color, size, thickness, or number holes in their descriptions.

Extension Activity

Objective

    Collect data

Materials

    Simple nonfiction books about frogs and toads
    Chart paper

Activity

Visual literacy: children investigate frogs and toads and make charts to show what they learned. Point out to children that although Frog and Toad look very similar, they are different animals, just as real frogs and toads are different animals.

Make New Discoveries

    Show children how to find information about frogs and toads in the books.
    Have one partner find information about frogs; the other partner can look for information about toads.
    Encourage children to write or dictate a chart such as the one below about frogs and toads.
    When the chart is complete, have partners compare the animals.

How to Assess

Were children able to collect and convey information about frogs and toads?

Frogs

    live in water and on land
    lay eggs
    moist skin

Toads

    live on land
    lay eggs
    dry, warty skin